Unemployment, and so on

[kandrathe]

Isn't that government regulation in about as extreme a form as it can be?

If you say x% of vehicles need to be electric by such and such you are letting private industry invent the means and methods to do so. You might even force the creation of a new job sector.

They do this already and set the bar higher without the foresight of knowing if the bar is achievable. CAFE and EPA standards have resulted in a system where US automakers were forced out of the small and midsized car market. They instead built trucks, SUV's and vans to avoid stringent government requirements.

If you say we are doing this by doing this then this then this, isn't the government controlling private industry? I can bet that if the current administration said we're replacing this coal plant in West Virginia with a hydro electric plant that people would have been up in arms! YOU CAN'T JUST CLOSE MY PLANT! HOW DARE YOU INFRINGE ON PRIVATE INDUSTRY!

Please explain to me how they could do what you want and not get slammed, likely from the same people that are slamming them now, for doing what you wanted?

There is a nice way and a not so nice way. I'm not barring private industry from getting on board. What I'm proposing is that you chart a path to a better future as defined by X, Y and Z. In this case, X, Y, and Z are related to the detriments of dependance on fossil fuels, and the benefits of relying more and more on renewable energy sources. Obama previously championed that vision.

Specifically, Virginia... I'd approach Dominion (among others) and work with them to figure out what barriers they face in converting away from coal and oil fired generation. It needs to make economic sense (short & long term) for them and still maintain their generation cost per KW. Customers would expect prices to remain fairly stable.

The government can do many more things to make this future happen quicker, such as;

1) Speed up the approval process for transmission lines over federal and state land.
2) Increase grant funding for research and development of renewable energy sources, and stuff like solid state batteries. Figure out how to get behind proven technologies to get them to market quicker.
3) Give power companies a tax break per megawatt of renewable energy generated (this puts the decisions on capital investment, and development of the methods used into the hands of the power company).
4) Use domestic natural gas as a stepping stone to a solar and wind future. We have huge supplies of domestic natural gas, which burns cleaner than oil, or coal. Give power companies a tax break for converting to natural gas powered generation plants. And... avoid the whole fracking ecological mess.
5) Promote domestic heating and water heating to convert to geothermal heat pumps, and solar where feasible. We need to make fuel oil, and eventually natural gas burning furnaces an anachronism just as was done to coal.

If you want people to convert to using electric cars, you need to do two things well. First, make it feasible for people to commute to work everyday, and second, make it affordable. The cars need to be capable of going two hours a day between charges, and the price of electricity needs to be as cheap or cheaper than gasoline.

Obama captivated people during the 2008 campaign with his vision of energy sector transformation. So far he's said he's for a variety of strategies like increasing domestic oil drilling (while not renewing leases), and increasing subsidies for bio-fuels. He attempted during his first six months to launch cap & trade, which thankfully died the death it deserved before getting any traction (as I've railed on previously).

I'd just like to see the administration develop a comprehensive clear, realistic plan that is then well executed. He needs to avoid the partisan man traps, and champion a strategy that most people can rally toward.

Political battles to avoid would include, cap/trade, oil drilling, fracking, and unfunded mandates on states or industries.